Siemens Industry, Inc. announces its new Motion-to-Grid (M2G) Energy Converters, designed to convert the mechanical energy generated from renewable resources such as wind turbines, waves or tidal power, hydro-turbines, concentrated solar power, geothermal and biomass turbines, into electrical energy.
Siemens M2G Energy Converters overcome the challenges of transforming the variable electro-mechanical energy of a turbine–generator group into harmonic-free three-phase reliable and safe electrical energy for a utility grid - producing power from motion to grid.
Introduced during the AWEA WINDPOWER 2012 Conference and Exposition in Atlanta, the M2G Energy Converter is a configurable AC Input | AC output inverter, generator and turbine controller, with two sections enclosed in tested, indoor or outdoor rated cabinets. The M2G Energy Converter allows end users to connect any type of three-phase generator, induction or permanent magnet to the input, yielding an output with a clean sinusoidal three-phase voltage of user-selectable amplitude, and perfectly synchronize with any grid type (weak or strong) in conformance to IEEE1547 harmonic standards for grid interconnection.
The Siemens M2G Energy Converters are perfect for the motion-based Small Scale power generation applications. They consist of two parts: a back-end section, or the grid section, that comes in a standard range of power levels from 30kW to 200kW, with the possibility to extend the power range all the way to 4MW; a front-end section, or the turbine control section, which can house a single or multiple turbine converter with centralized controls and operation interface.
Siemens includes numerous standard features that makes the M2G Energy Converter a system of choice for many turbine control applications, including:
Standard Off-the-Shelf Drive Components – allows short delivery time for spare parts, based on robust elements with field-proven reliability and high availability worldwide.
Plug-and-Play Architecture – based on Siemens Drive-Cliq technology, which permits replacing the components of the drive system without re-commissioning.
User-selectable voltage output – the M2G-EC from Siemens can allow users to select the amplitude of the three phase output voltage in a wide range up to 480V, so the same equipment can be connected to various grids.
User selectable line frequency – the same system can be operated on either 50Hz or 60Hz utility line supplies.
User-adjustable power factor – the M2G Energy Converter can be programmed to adjust and control a lead or a lag power factor.
When used for wind or hydro power generation projects, the front-end (turbine control part) of the M2G Energy Converter offers standard advanced control algorithms for generator control, selectable between servo or vector mode, generating or motoring modes, allow real-time adjustment in the control loops and/or monitoring of any drive variable (currents, AC or DC voltages, torque, temperature, speed, position, I/O status, etc.). The Siemens solution incorporates energy generation algorithms, generator torque/speed control, maximum power tracking control, TSR control, advanced power protection functionalities, all handled by the drive controller offered by Siemens.
Additionally, the M2G Energy Converter comes with eight standard digital I/O with 24V relays, temperature and interconnection protection systems, and an integrated Web server which permits remote access and monitoring all system variables via standard Ethernet interface from anywhere in the world, remote commissioning and performing firmware upgrades on all hardware/software components and provide an inexpensive alternative to having an on-cabinet HMI.
Siemens will package the M2G Energy Converter in flexible configurations, with a certified UL1741 grid inverter (back-end) section and user configurable turbine control (front-end) section. First units of 100kW and 55kW are planned to be available during the fourth quarter of 2012.
For more information on Siemens Motion-to-Grid Energy Converters, visit www.siemens.com/wind-equipment.
